Why Does Hamlet Delay His Revenge?

Summary: In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the title character delays his revenge against Claudius for killing his father because of his moral dilemmas and mental weakness. He has difficulty performing an act so contrary to his nature.

`Hamlet' is no doubt one of the greatest literary works ever written. William Shakespeare presents in it complexity of human nature and examination of human behavior. After reading this drama one of the main questions we have to ask is ` Why does Hamlet delay"'. Why does he wait so long before taking revenge on Claudius for killing his father? While answering the question about postponement we have to take under consideration few aspects.

First of all let us start with probably one of the most popular theory, which is mental weakness and lack of physical strength. Hamlet as a student of art has an artistic soul. That means, he is very sensitive and lost in emotions person, who does not know what to do:' Yet I, a dull and muddy-mettled rascal(...), unpregnant of my cause` (Act Two, Scene Two). The prince as a perfect example of...